The Calgary Board of Education spent nearly $15,000 so chief superintendent Naomi Johnson and two of her staff could travel earlier this year to New Zealand and attend a conference on thinking.

The travel is coming under criticism, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation calling it a "junket," a "pretty big puffball," and one that "sounds more like a taxpayer-funded vacation."

It is a trip, however, that the chief superintendent is defending, arguing what was learned during the conference and other meetings will help improve education in Calgary.

The expenses were posted on the Calgary Board of Education's website earlier this week.

The posting was part of a disclosure every two months of spending by the board's top bureaucrats and trustees.

They show the trip took Johnson out of Calgary for at least 16 days. The International Conference on Thinking was five days long, and Johnson was on holiday in New Zealand for the rest of the time before flying back to Canada. (It appears the CBE was not charged for any travel expenses incurred during Johnson's vacation period).

All told, Johnson's conference fees, six nights in a hotel, taxis, flight to New Zealand and return, extra baggage charges, and one meal cost the school board $5,281.18.

"The Calgary Board of Education needs to put tighter screws onto this kind of thing," said Derek Fildebrandt, the Alberta director of the taxpayers federation.

"This is not an appropriate use of taxpayers' money. This is a thinly veiled excuse for a junket to the other side, bottom of the world, to a nice, warm, location."

Johnson also racked up an additional $1,110.92 in international data roaming charges on her tablet. A CBE spokeswoman said Johnson used the device for work during the trip, but intends to pay back part or all of that bill.

Johnson is defending the trip, saying that in addition to the conference, she also met with ministry of education officials, a non-profit education consultancy and leaders with the Maori, an indigenous group.

It was a professional learning opportunity, she said in an interview Wednesday, particularly around the curriculum New Zealand has developed for indigenous students.

That will ultimately help the CBE reshape how it teaches aboriginal students in Calgary, Johnson said.

"I'm firmly of the opinion that this was not a junket, that this was a learning opportunity with colleagues," Johnson said.

"We are not just isolated anymore. We need to connect globally. There were people there from all over the world, from England, from Harvard, from Italy, from Spain. It was an excellent opportunity."

The conference ran from Jan. 21 to 25, and was held in Wellington, the New Zealand capital. Johnson's flight out Calgary was Jan. 17 and the return flight was Feb. 3.

Johnson's trip was approved by CBE chairwoman Pat Cochrane. Cochrane also signed off on the expenses.

In an application for permission to travel abroad, Johnson provides a justification for attending the conference. She writes that she first learned of the similar challenges faced by New Zealand and Calgary education systems during a course she took last July as part of her doctorate.

Johnson's thesis adviser is Sharon Friesen, the vice-dean of the education department at the University of Calgary. Friesen was on the trip, as well, and presented at the International Conference on Thinking.

Johnson said in the interview she took about a week's worth of holidays in New Zealand after the conference. She said she has six weeks of vacation a year, but a busy schedule means it's hard to take time off.

Some observers say they see little wrong with the trip. Frank Bruseker, the president of the Calgary Public Teachers Association, said there is benefit in going to conferences.

"I didn't lose any sleep over it," he said of Johnson's trip.

He points out he went to Finland last year, albeit on the dime of the Alberta Teachers Association. He said he's not opposed to school board officials and teachers travelling, so long as it can be justified.

Expense documents show Ronna Mosher, the director of the chief superintendent's office, also went on the New Zealand trip. The total cost for her was $4,807.70.

According to ticket information, Mosher left New Zealand before Johnson, beginning her trip home the morning after the conference.

Lori Pamplin, an educational coordinator in Johnson's office, also went on the trip. Her expenses are not posted, but CBE spokeswoman Megan Geyer said they amount to slightly less than $5,000.

It's not the first time Johnson's expenses have come under scrutiny. Last fall, the Herald revealed the CBE had been significantly under-reporting the chief superintendent's expenses on financial statements.

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$15,000 New Zealand trip for CBE superintendent and staff comes under scrutiny

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